PHOTO | Hannah Wyatt
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Title IX office at Arkansas Tech University is hosting several events for the campus community.
Title IX was passed as a part of the 1972 Education Amendments and prohibits discrimination based on sex in education and activities that receive financial federal assistance. The Title IX office at Tech investigates instances of Title IX violations and provides resources to students, staff, and faculty.
One breach of Title IX is harassment. According to the Title IX website, harassment is “any sexual act which violates criminal laws of the State of Arkansas or laws of the United States”. This includes domestic or dating violence.
“Relationship violence can be such a devastating thing to go through and we want to make sure all of our students, faulty, and staff know that if something happens in their relationship, we are here to support them,” Stacy Galbo, assistant dean of student conduct, deputy Title IX coordinator, and investigator, said.
The goal of Domestic Violence Awareness Month is to bring attention to abuse in relationships and that “no one should have to go through that,” Galbo said.
To start the month, the Title IX office hosted a speaking event by Colligate Empowerment called “Zero Shades Freed” which is designed to help students think about what they want in relationships.
The Title IX office is also planning tabling events throughout the month in order to promote awareness. These tabling events will have information on the signs of unhealthy relationships and available resources for members of the Arkansas Tech University community. The next such event will be Thursday, Oct. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Bell Tower or Hull Student Union.
More information about the Title IX office and available resources can be found at their website https://www.atu.edu/titleix/ or through the online resource guide at https://www.atu.edu/titleix/docs/TIX%20Resource%20Guide%202022-2023.pdf.
